Significance of salicylate intolerance in diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract

• Published in: Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society Vol. 56 Suppl 5; p. 89
• Main Authors: Raithel, M, Baenkler, H W, Naegel, A, Buchwald, F, Schultis, H W, Backhaus, B, Kimpel, S, Koch, H, Mach, K, Hahn, E G, Konturek, P C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Poland 01-09-2005
• Subjects: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - adverse effects; Aspirin - adverse effects; Colitis, Ulcerative - diagnosis; Colitis, Ulcerative - drug therapy; Crohn Disease - diagnosis; Crohn Disease - drug therapy; Diet; Drug Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Drug Hypersensitivity - etiology; Drug Hypersensitivity - physiopathology; Food Hypersensitivity - diagnosis; Food Hypersensitivity - drug therapy; Gastrointestinal Diseases - diagnosis; Gastrointestinal Diseases - drug therapy; Gastrointestinal Diseases - etiology; Humans; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - diagnosis; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - drug therapy; Lower Gastrointestinal Tract - drug effects; Malabsorption Syndromes - diagnosis; Malabsorption Syndromes - drug therapy; Mesalamine - adverse effects; Salicylates - adverse effects
• ISSN: 1899-1505

Salicylate intolerance is defined as a nonspecific antigen-induced pseudo-allergic hypersensitivity reaction which can occur upon contact of an organism with salicylic acid, its derivatives or other related organic or inorganic acids of similar chemical structure. Since the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) intolerance are by no means always severe or life-endangering but may just as well present as oligosymptomatic or local disorders (e.g. abdominal pain, diarrhea, we decided to evaluate the characteristics of patients with salicylate intolerance on the basis of gastroenterological case material of Medical Department I of Erlangen University. On the basis of the findings from the Erlangen interdisciplinary data register of chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disease, the signs and symptoms of NSAID intolerance were found to constitute a diagnosis of great practical import to clinical medicine (allergology, dermatology, immunology, other disorders etc.) including gastroenterology. For approx. 2-7% of all patients with inflammatory bowel syndrome and food allergies this poses a new diagnostic and therapeutic challenge which may concern physicians from any of the disciplines involved. When presented with patients with chronic active disease who are suffering from these symptoms one should, therefore, in future give greater thought to the possibility of salicylate intolerance, all the more as there are meaningful dietetic, diagnostic and therapeutic options available for these persons.